Cooling Off In A Hot Spot

Affluence and flair

South Beach may be South Florida's trendiest spot, but Coral Gables is increasingly strutting its stuff.

The affluent community known for its posh boutiques, spectacular architecture and demure yet exhilarating nightlife made real-estate mogul and nationally renowned author Barbara Corcoran's list of "America's Sexiest Suburbs."

"It's a beautiful place to live," Corcoran said. "The city has a lot of flair, and that's sexy."

On today's episode of The View on ABC, Corcoran will showcase Coral Gables along with other fashionable cities such as La Jolla, Calif., Oak Park, Ill., and Newport, R.I. The show begins at 11 a.m.

Corcoran heads The Corcoran Group, a real-estate company that netted $2.2 billion in sales of condominiums, cooperatives and town houses in 2001, and opened a lucrative Palm Beach office two years ago.

She was impressed by Coral Gables' Mediterranean architecture, plazas, fountains, and streets named for Spanish cities and heroes.

Corcoran also notes that the city boasts 56 plastic surgeons within a 6-mile radius, 20 gyms, and more than 100 beauty salons and upscale restaurants.

The locals couldn't be more pleased with the publicity.

"It's great because more people are starting to take notice of us," Coral Gables Mayor Don Slesnick said. "In the past, we would get grouped into Miami."

Known by many of its 44,000 residents as "The Gables," the 13-square-mile city has a median home value of $710,000 and an average income per household of $128,000.

"People who are making money spend it, and the aesthetic beauty of the area makes you feel prettier," Corcoran said.

Coral Gables also is home to the Biltmore Hotel, which is on the National Register of Historic Places. The hotel, inspired by the Cathedral of Seville in Spain, was built in 1926. The hotel's lavish gardens and extravagant decor attract thousands each year.

The Venetian Pool, formed from a coral rock pit in the 1920s and filled daily by 800,000 gallons of spring water from the Biscayne aquifer, is known for its grottos, coral caves and two waterfalls -- a perfect place to steal a kiss, Corcoran said.

Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden, the Miracle Mile and the Village of Merrick Park are other hot spots that help make Coral Gables a destination.

"Malls don't look like that; you feel like you're somewhere else, and it's well-done," Corcoran said. "The Gables is the whole package."